What Is the Best Translation App for Shopify?

March 15, 2024
What Is the Best Translation App for Shopify?

Are you considering using a Shopify translation app to let the world know about your products? Shopify allows you to start, grow and manage a business with ease. So why limit your success to just one country?

I’ve taken an in-depth look at the best Shopify translation apps available in 2022, to help you understand which is likely to best meet your needs. I’ve highlighted the merits of each below, to help you make an informed choice.

Why Do You Need the Best Multilingual App for Shopify?

It’s a competitive world out there. With tough economic times on the horizon, it’s time to do all you can to expand your customer base and increase your market share. Selling in other languages can help you do just that.

Whether you’re targeting domestic customers who speak other languages or selling to clients overseas, with the best translation app Shopify can be a powerful tool to help you bump up your bottom line.

You could, of course, opt for building a multilingual website to connect with customers who speak other languages. However, just as Shopify simplifies the online retail experience, finding the best Shopify language translation app simplifies selling your wares in multiple tongues.

What to Look for in the Best Shopify Translation App

If you’re wondering how to identify the best translation app for Shopify, I recommend considering the factors below. It’s also important to have a clear strategy for the internationalization of your Shopify store. That means making your store and your products as accessible as possible, in preparation to present them to new audiences.

If you’re not familiar with the concepts behind presenting a site to audiences in additional countries, who may not speak your native language, I recommend brushing up on your website localization knowledge before you begin the translation process. Doing so will help to clarify your thinking and hone your strategy for maximising your impact in other languages.

Once that’s done, it’s time to consider what to look for as part of your Shopify app translation project.

App Store Reviews

What is the best Shopify translation app? To find out, let Shopify App Store reviews help point you in the right direction. Anything that doesn’t have many reviews, or that has lots of reviews with poor ratings, should be an immediate red flag. As should anything that’s not listed in the Shopify App Store.

Don’t take a chance on an app just because it’s free. Even if you’re on a tight budget, the best free Shopify translation app will still be one with good reviews, so dismiss anything that your fellow merchants have rated poorly. Learn from their mistakes rather than making your own.

Top Features

Once you’ve whittled down the field by dismissing any contenders without sufficient app store ratings, it’s time to look at the top features of each of the Shopify app translation options you’re considering.

The features you need will depend on your particular situation. If your technical skills are lacking, for example, it’s likely you’ll need an app that’s easy to use and requires no coding. Or if time is of the essence, you’ll want to find a language translator Shopify app that gets the job done at lightning speed.

Before you start seeking the Shopify app translation tool that best meets your needs, make a list of your top priorities. That way, you can ensure you keep them in mind when researching your options. Factor this into your localization strategy to ensure you coordinate everything for maximum results.

App Support

Even the most reliable technology glitches from time to time. If you’re using a language translator app Shopify won’t be there to provide tech support. So make sure the team that developed the app will have your back when it comes to supporting the multilingual element of your shopfront.

With all that in mind, let’s dive into some of the best Shopify translation apps on the market in 2022.

Transcy

Created in May 2020, Transcy has made a name for itself within the Shopify community. Users have been impressed with its ease of use and the friendly, professional support that’s available.

Features

Transcy delivers a simpler user experience, with auto-translation of store content in just a few clicks, powered by Google Translate. The app can translate images too, which many Shopify merchants appreciate.

This intuitive app includes various features that level up your Shopify translation app experience. It can auto-update your translations as you make changes in Shopify admin. It has a geolocation auto-detection system and can updated currencies using an exchange rate that is updated daily (and that you can edit manually, if you prefer). Transcy also features an eye-catching language switcher that won’t slow your page speed.

This fully featured app is backed up by 24/7 live chat support, meaning it’s ideal for non-technical users.

Pricing

Like many of the apps I’ve included in this roundup, Transcy has a free plan available. For those who like to try before they buy, there’s a 14-day free trial, giving you plenty of time to test out all of Transcy’s features.

User Reviews

Transcy has scored an impressive 4.9-star rating, based on 3,577 user reviews. That makes it the most-reviewed Shopify free translation app in the store at the time of writing.

Translation Lab (T Lab)

Translation Lab is a Shopify-native translation and currency app that makes it easy for you to translate every page of your store, while also showing prices in the currencies you need.

Features

If you’re looking for the best free translation app Shopify needs to work seamlessly with it. Translation Lab certainly ticks that box, with a seamless workflow that you can use directly in Shopify admin. The tech is updated regularly, so works with the latest Shopify themes.

This Shopify translation app provides you with plenty of flexibility. You can choose to translate manually or with Google’s neural machine translation (NMT), with over 130 languages available. Translation Lab also supports selling in 160+ currencies.

Handy features such as auto detection of your store visitor’s language and the translation of the checkout drives up the quality of the experience for your shoppers.

You can also export and import translations, migrate themes and produce stores that will be SEO-friendly and indexed by search engines in every language. Plus there’s great support in place from the developers, which is always handy.

Pricing

If you’re looking for the best free Shopify translation app, Translation Lab is certainly a contender. The basic free plan is good, though there are additional charges for some features.

User Reviews

Translation Lab has a rating of 4.9 (out of 5) in the Shopify App Store, based on a total of 783 reviews. The last one-star review left was in June 2021, which speaks well of users’ general level of contentment with the app.

ETranslate

ETranslate allows you to easily translate your store without impacting your page loading time.

Features

ETranslate works with the Google NMT application programming interface (API), meaning that you have all the linguistic power of one of the language industry’s artificial intelligence leaders at your fingertips. You can also translate manually if you prefer.

The app supports 150+ currencies, with automatic currency conversion, including custom options for specific countries and for rounding rules. Locale-aware URLs, meanwhile, mean you’ll be indexed by search engines around the globe.

Pricing

The app has a free plan available, so you can use it on a tight budget. There’s also a seven-day free trial, so you can test it out with no commitment.

User Reviews

ETranslate has achieved an average rating of 4.9 in the Shopify App Store, based on a total of 788 reviews. This shows it is a free translation app Shopify merchants have been mighty impressed with, so it’s well worth consideration if you want to connect with shoppers in multiple languages.

Weglot

Weglot is a translation solution for Shopify that prioritises speed. It can translate your store in just five minutes. The app uses machine translation to achieve this, though you can also use post-editing features or order professional translations if you prefer.

Features

SEO optimisation and search engine indexing are included as standard with the Weglot app, so you can quickly and easily spread the word about your wares.

The app delivers a user-friendly experience, with a no-code installation process and an intuitive dashboard for editing translations. It translates checkouts, email notifications and dynamic content, as well as your core shop pages.

Weglot supports translation of your content into more than 100 languages and includes the translation of images and metadata. It automatically detects and translates new content, making it easy for you to keep your multilingual store up to date.

Pricing

Weglot is free to install. However, not all features are included, so be prepared to pay for various extras.

User Reviews

A total of 1,322 users have reviewed Weglot in the Shopify App Store as I write this. It has achieved an average rating of 4.6. Those who have given the app a poor rating have been unimpressed with its support team and have flagged up issues with it not supporting all Shopify themes, so this is something to look out for before you make a decision regarding using this particularly Shopify translation app.

Translate My Store

If you’re after the best free translation app for Shopify, Translate My Store (TMS) is a worthy contender thanks to its fully featured offering and seamless workflow.

Features

It takes just a few clicks and a few minutes to translate your Shopify store using Translate My Store’s advanced AI translation. The app also offers a clean and simply manual translation interface, as well as the ability to import and export translation files.

Translate My Store integrates with a range of Shopify features, including the free shipping bar, countdown timer bar, ultimate sales boost and Google Shopping feed. This makes it a great choice for merchants who are making use of a wide range of Shopify features. It is also fully compatible with Shopify Markets, supporting multilanguage and multicurrency checkout options.

Pricing

There is a free plan available for Translate My Store, making it a great choice for merchants on a budget. Just watch out for the additional charges that some features incur.

User Reviews

Translate My Store users are largely impressed with the app’s smooth user experience and easy translation features. They’ve rated it an average 4.8 out of 5 stars in the Shopify App Store, across a total of 629 reviews.

G | Translate

G | Translate has been around since 2017. The app uses Google Translate (could you guess from the name?) to power its translations.

Features

This app is bursting with features and comes with friendly live chat support. It has an intuitive client dashboard with analytics, a centralized translation cache that helps improve translations over time and a speedy translation process.

You can also opt for multilingual SEO, enhanced quality neural translation, subdomains for each language, URL translation, checkout page translation, metadata translation and a wide range of other features – though these do incur a cost.

Professional translation services and an automatic translation proofreading service are also available if required.

Pricing

Commendably, G | Translate offers full clarity on which features are free and which are paid, right from the outset. If you’re after a free translation app, Shopify options don’t come much better than this. Free features include a language selector for your shop, automatic translation, third-party app translation, language names and flags and an unlimited translation word count.

The app’s more advanced features are all paid for.

User Reviews

1,776 users have reviewed G | Translate in the Shopify App Store at the time I’m writing this. They’ve given the app an average rating of 4.7. Those who have been less than happy with the app have complained about a lack of timely support with their issues, so that’s something to bear in mind if this is the app you choose.

Bablic

If you need to translate and localize your store, Bablic is worth a look.

Features

Bablic provides a visual editor that can translate pictures, pop-ups and buttons, as well as your core store pages. With no coding needed, it’s a good option for those with limited technical skills.

The visual editor’s preview function means you can see how each item will look before it goes live, which is a handy feature. The app also supports both left-to-right and right-to-left languages, so is a great choice if you want to present your store in Arabic, Hebrew and so on.

Bablic offers 99.9% uptime, localization support and collaboration functionality for the app’s dashboard, which is handy if you run a store with a friend or colleague and both work from separate locations.

Pricing

Bablic costs $19 per month at the time of writing. It has a 14-day free trial, so you can test it out before committing to the monthly cost.

User Reviews

Bablic has an average rating of 4.1 on the Shopify App Store, based on 117 reviews.

LangShop

Speed and accuracy are the key attractions of LangShop, an established and well-reviewed app that has been around since 2016.

Features

LangShop provides glossary support to promote accurate translation. It also places no word limits or page view limits on its translations, even on its free plan. This is a total Shopify translation solution, covering store pages, checkout, images, email notifications and dynamic content.

The app provides auto-detection of shoppers’ preferred locale preferences, along with support for right-to-left languages, CSV import and export functionality, unlimited currency and language switchers and DeepL Pro and Google API support. It’s packed with features but also easy to use.

Pricing

You can use the LangShop free plan if budget is an issue. The app also provides a 14-day trial, so you can learn your way around it before committing.

User Reviews

At the time of writing, LangShop has been rated 4.7 by Shopify merchants, across a total of 541 reviews.

Uplinkly

Quick and easy to install, Uplinkly offers an easy-to-use way to boost your store sales.

Features

Uplinkly enables you to translate your store into over 100 languages with just a few clicks. It adds a slick language selector to your store and doesn’t require you to use any code to get the app working, which is handy for non-techies.

The friendly support team is on hand to help if you get stuck and is also available to integrate translation into your menus and footer, upon request.

Pricing

Uplinkly is a free Shopify translation app that allows you to translate your store content into up to 10 languages at no cost.

User Reviews

Out of 143 reviews from Shopify App Store users, Uplinkly has achieved an overall rating of 4.7 stars. It has been used by merchants in a wide range of locations, who have been impressed with the quality of its support.

Langify

Since 2013, Langify’s developers have been committed to delivering a native Shopify translation experience, which means they race to adapt their app to any new or changed features that Shopify rolls out. This makes the app ideal for merchants who like to update their store regularly to take advantage of Shopify’s latest features.

Features  

Langify is a fully-featured Shopify translation app with stellar support. It is easy to use, with just a few clicks required to set up its language, country, currencies, and more. The app also gives individuals the opportunity to add and edit auto-translations as well as translate the Shopify checkout, email, and SMS notifications.

Those using Langify can translate up to 20 languages, including languages written from right to left. There’s an automatic translation feature, a simplified translation process, and an SEO-optimized domain structure.

Pricing  

Langify offers a free trial period of up to seven days so you can see for yourself if it's worth the money. Langify costs $17.50 per month to get access to all its features. You will also have to pay an additional one-time payment for their automatic translation word package.

User Reviews  

Based on 1,367 reviews, Langify has achieved an overall rating of 4.7. Many merchants praise the app’s accuracy as well as the high quality of its support team.

Langwill

Langwill is a relative newcomer to the Shopify translation scene, having only been launched in December 2021. Since then, however, it’s attracted a loyal following and inspired some great user reviews.

Features

It takes just one minute for Langwill to translate your Shopify store, using multiple leading language providers’ neural translation APIs. You can redirect translation based on each visitor’s browser language and manage your translations through the intuitive interface.

At the time of writing, Langwill provides user interface support in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Dutch and German, making this a popular app with merchants in a wide range of countries.

Users can review and edit their translations, with a total of 46 languages available for translation, including right-to-left functionality.

Pricing

Langwill is a Shopify free translation app, so a great choice if you’re looking for an app with plenty of features and zero cost.

User Reviews

Langwill has scored an impressive 4.9 in the Shopify App Store, based on the opinions of some 96 users. Its speedy translations and superfast customer support are two of many features that its advocates are quick to praise.

ConveyThis

The last Shopify language translation app I want to include here is ConveyThis, which helps merchants to translate their stores using AI and deep machine learning.

Features

ConveyThis takes just two minutes to install, with no coding required. It has a simple interface for editing your translations and an analytics dashboard that helps you to track and optimise conversions.

The app uses machine translation to deliver your content, with human translators on hand for editing support. It also provides 24/7 support in 15 languages – although some of those who have left reviews on the Shopify website have complained about slow or no support when they’ve tried to get in touch with ConveyThis’ developers.

Pricing

If you’re on a budget, there’s good news – ConveyThis has a free plan available. However, the fact that the app promotes the use of its professional human translators for ‘general proofreading or in-depth corrections’ means that your costs can soon mount up.

User Reviews

ConveyThis has an average rating of 4.0, based on a total of 84 reviews. It has some great features, but some reviewers feel it’s not the best free translation app Shopify has available. Definitely worth reading the reviews in depth before you make up your mind.  

When Should You Use Professional Website Translation? 

All of the apps I’ve listed above use machine translation as the basis of the service they provide, with some then delivering a human editing and translation service as well. Machine translation has come a long way in recent years and can certainly speed up the translation process hugely.

However, if you’re after a translation that sounds like it was written in the target language, including careful attention to cultural nuances, idioms and so forth, using website translation services provided by humans could be best.

Ultimately, much will depend on your budget, as machine translation is cheaper than human translation. But if you have the funds available, you can enjoy the peace of mind of knowing that your website will be well looked after in the hands of professional human linguists.

FAQs

Why is it important to use a translation app for a Shopify store?

Using a translation app for a Shopify store is crucial for reaching a wider, international audience. It helps to overcome language barriers, making products and services accessible to non-English speakers, which can significantly expand the customer base and increase sales.

What factors should be considered when choosing a Shopify translation app?

When choosing a Shopify translation app, consider factors like ease of use, the number of languages supported, integration with Shopify features, quality of customer support, app reviews and ratings, and pricing plans. These factors ensure that the app meets your specific business needs and budget.

Is it better to use machine translation or professional translation services for a Shopify store?

The choice between machine translation and professional translation services depends on your budget, the complexity of your content, and the need for cultural sensitivity. Machine translation is faster and more cost-effective for basic translations, but professional human translation services may be necessary for nuanced, technical, or culturally specific content.

Wrap Up

I’ve reviewed some of the most popular Shopify translation apps above, to help you analyse 12 of the strongest contenders for the title of the best translation app for Shopify:

·  Transcy

·  Translation Lab

·  ETranslate

·  Weglot

·  Translate My Store

·  G | Translate

·  Bablic

·  LangShop

·  Uplinkly

·  Langify

·  Langwill

·  ConveyThis

Each of these apps has its strengths, so be sure to assess each one against your own needs. Then it’s time to sit back and watch your international customer base grow.

By Ofer Tirosh

Ofer Tirosh is the founder and CEO of Tomedes, a language technology and translation company that supports business growth through a range of innovative localization strategies. He has been helping companies reach their global goals since 2007.

Share:

STAY INFORMED

Subscribe to receive all the latest updates from Tomedes.

Post your Comment

I want to receive a notification of new postings under this topic

GET IN TOUCH

Need expert language assistance? Inquire now

Do It Yourself

I want a free quote now and I'm ready to order my translations.

Do It For Me

I'd like Tomedes to provide a customized quote based on my specific needs.

Want to be part of our team?